5 Inch Heels and a Black Hoodie
by Chezza456
Summary: On the night of her and Toby's first anniversary Spencer decides to take Hanna's advice about what to wear. However it's not just Toby who gets a surprise about what the other is wearing, and it ends up being a very emotional night for the couple. Oneshot based around S3E16. (Basically an alternative ending where Spence doesn't find Toby's Radley pass and confront him at her house)


Spencer couldn't believe she was actually doing this. Hanna's advice was nearly always taken with caution, especially when it was about dating. And what worked for her never seemed to work for Spencer anyway. So, why she was doing it, she wasn't sure. It was raining heavily outside and Spencer pulled her coat tighter around her body, despite the warm temperature inside the apartment. Checking that all her preparation was in place and perfect, she finally dropped down onto the sofa to wait for Toby to arrive home. Looking at the clock she noted that she'd only have to wait around 10 minutes. She kicked off the heels and tucked her feet under her, fanning the coat out to cover her bare legs. As she curled up into the corner of the sofa she reached over to the table and picked up the motorcycle book that Toby had left on the coffee table. It had been a birthday present from Emily and she remembered seeing how happy he'd been after he'd unwrapped it. She read her friend's inscription with a smile and then flicked through the rest of the pages. One time, she had been snuggled up to him while he had been looking through it, enthusing over what his dream bike would be. Spencer had loved hearing his voice waver in pitch as his excitement grew, with the idea spiralling into how they'd go and spend a month riding across the country to the West coast, just the two of them and the bike on the open road. It had sounded perfect. She sighed. They would go, once the whole thing with A was finally over and she was free from the torture they would just leave everything and go. It wasn't exactly a ' _Hastings_ ' thing to do, to dump everything and run away, but Spencer didn't exactly care about that anymore. She glanced up at the clock again. It was only a couple of minutes before Toby would arrive home. She had determined his arrival time by calculating the distance from his workplace and the estimated speed he'd be driving at through the rain. Setting his book back down on the table with care, Spencer then jumped up from the sofa and pressed her feet back into the heels. She checked over the dining table once again to make sure everything was perfect and confident that all was in place, finally slipped off the coat. For a moment she hesitated, wondering whether to keep it on the back of her chair, but after a few seconds decided that it would probably ruin the effect. She hung the coat up by the door and glided back over the dining table to sit and wait the remaining few minutes.

The clock ticked away, reaching Toby's estimated arrival time, and then passing it. As the minutes crept by Spencer grew agitated. She was worried why he hadn't got back yet and her mind started to fear the worst possibilities. Not wanting to dwell on anything that consisted of his truck being in a ditch somewhere, she shook the thoughts to the back of her mind trying to convince herself that the traffic must be bad. She wanted to call him to find out, but doing that would ruin the surprise. Another 10 minutes passed and no longer able to sit still, Spencer stood up in anguish. Just as she began to contemplate shoving the coat back on and going outside to see if she could spot him coming she heard a car door slam outside. She sighed heavily in relief. Then a thought came into her head. It would be likely that Toby would see his kitchen light on from outside, and he'd worry about someone breaking into his house. After a split second decision she snapped the light switch off and returned to her place at the table. As she heard footsteps on the stairs her nerves grew. Her doubts about Hanna's advice had now reached their peak, and Spencer wished that she'd left the coat on the back of her chair. However it was too late to change her mind, so she took a deep breath and waited for him to open the door and turn on the light. The sound of the key in the lock quickened her heart rate and she watched the door unblinking. As it opened the breath was struck from her chest. A dark figure slipped inside and turned back to lock the door. They were wearing a black hoodie. In shock Spencer rose to her feet, her mouth falling open as she stared silently. The noise of the chair scrapping backwards against the floor startled the hooded figure and they jumped, flicking on the lights and pulling their hood down as they turned.

"Toby?" The word came out as a breath that she didn't know she had. Her throat had closed up and her heart was beating faster than it had before. Toby's eyes widened as he registered her standing in front of him.  
"Spencer!" His voice was filled with worry and confusion. His eyes then trailed down and he too was left with his mouth hanging open in shock. It wasn't until that point that she remembered what she was wearing. Or, more rather, what she was _not_ wearing. She cursed in her head and folded her arms across her chest. Toby awkwardly looked away and quickly pulled the black hoodie off. Spencer glared. _There's no point trying to hide it now, I've already seen you wearing it_ , she thought. Instead, to her surprise, Toby then reached over, holding it out to her. "Here." He mumbled awkwardly, still directing his eyes away from her. Spencer snatched the hoodie from his hand and quickly pulled it on. It felt weird to know that she was technically wearing an A hoodie, but at least it gave her back some dignity. Plus it was fairly warm. "What are you doing here?" He asked, finally looking at her again. Spencer let out a short laugh.  
"What am _I_ doing here? It's our anniversary night! I was planning on surprising you." She said angrily. Toby looked down at the floor with a small smile.  
"Well you definitely managed that..." He mumbled quietly. Spencer raged.  
"What the hell are you doing wearing _this_?" The smile vanished from his face. He looked back up at her anxiously.  
"It's not what it looks like."  
"No? Because it damn well looks like you're A." She glared at him as he lowered his eyes and avoided her glare. He was silent for a long time. " _Well_?"  
"That's because I am..."

Spencer's face fell. Her anger instantly washed away and was replaced with betrayal and hurt. _He was A_. The seconds ticked away as she stared at him, questioning everything from the past year. Every single memory flashed up in her mind and then crumbled as the truth broke through them. _He was A_. Everything that they'd shared together, all her feelings for him; had his all been a lie? Her anger surged to the surface again and with a growl she shoved past him and towards the door. She wrenched it open but just as she was about to leave Toby caught her wrist and pulled her back.  
"Spence, wait! Please -" They were inches apart, and this close Spencer could see the tears welling up in his eyes. She jerked her wrist out of his grip and slapped him hard across the cheek. He stumbled back slightly with a cry of pain and shock. Without looking back, Spencer hurried out of the door and into the pouring rain. She rushed down the iron steps and into the alleyway. Now her anger had dissolved and she was struck by the crushing sadness. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she hurried wiped them away with her sleeve. Realising she was still wearing the black hoodie she cursed, crying harder. Despite the tears she carried on, storming through the puddles towards the main road. Suddenly she felt a hand grasp her arm. She flung round, swinging her other arm out but this time Toby was on guard. He ducked back and then slid his other hand around her waist to keep her from rushing off again. Spencer swore and struggled trying to shove him back but Toby held on tightly.  
"I'm not A. Not how you think I am. Let me explain." He spoke over her attempts to break free. After a minute she stopped and glared at him.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" He sighed in relief slightly but didn't relax his hold on her.  
"Ok. It's true that I've been helping Mona, but -" Spencer snarled and started to struggle again. Toby stopped talking and pulled her closer into him to tighten his hold. She lifted her hand up to hit him again but he caught it before she struck his cheek a second time. His eyes were still filled with worry as he stared at her.  
"...But I only joined them so I could _protect you_. Spence, I love you, I want you to be safe. I thought joining them would give me inside information and I'd be able to use it to protect you." He finally released his hold on her and she stepped back quickly. Her eyes searched his face as she questioned whether to believe him or not. They both stood staring at each other silently for a couple of minutes. The rain was still pouring heavily and they were both drenched, but neither of them took any notice of the weather. Then Spencer lowered her eyes and shook her head. Toby's face fell.  
" _Spencer..._ " She took several steps back, still shaking her head. She couldn't trust him. Not now. Not after this. He stepped closer to her, and she heard his voice break as he spoke.  
"Spence, please..." She turned from him and slowly walked away, towards the main road. She didn't hear any footsteps behind her. More tears streamed down her cheeks. Whether he was telling the truth or not, he'd still betrayed her, and it still hurt.  
"Spencer... I'm sorry." She heard him shout out from behind her. She didn't look back. She kept walking until she came out onto the street and then turned left. The rain was falling harder and the heels were pinching the backs of her feet but she didn't stop. She didn't want to stop because she feared that if she did then she'd turn around and go back. Spencer wiped her eyes with the sleeve of the hoodie but it was so drenched that she ended up with more water on her face. As she passed a shop window she caught a glimpse of her appearance. She stopped and stepped closer to it, looking properly. Her hair was plastered to her head and her mascara was leaving black smudges down her face. The hoodie was sticking to her bare skin and she finally realised how cold she was. _Trust Hanna's advice to end up going drastically wrong_ , Spencer thought. She started to shiver as she continued walking. Once again her mind took her back to Toby, and what he had said. _'So I could protect you._ ' That was the phrase she kept hearing inside her head. She wanted to believe him but she wasn't sure that she could forgive him for betraying her like this. A wasn't some high school bully. A was serious, A wanted to destroy them, destroy every little bit of happiness they had in their lives until there was nothing left. And Toby had joined up to help. Granted, it wasn't the best history to start a relationship on, with the Jenna thing and thinking that he might have killed Alison, but she'd thought that they'd gotten past all of that and actually loved each other. _Maybe he hadn't got past it. Maybe that was the reason he joined in the first place_. With that thought Spencer finally broke into sobs and dropped down to her knees on the pavement.

After what had felt like hours her tears had finally dried up and her throat was raw. Spencer was still sat by the road, unmoving and frozen. The rain had only worsened and thunder now echoed in the skies above. With a heavy sigh she pulled the loose hoodie tighter across her body in some attempt to warm herself up. But the material was soaked with cold water and it only caused her to shiver. _It was time to go home_. She stood up and wiped the grit that had stuck to her knees, leaving bloody smears across her legs. They were painful from taking the impact of the fall and she limped forward, wincing. It would normally take just over half an hour to get back home from Toby's and that was if she was walking at a decent pace. She groaned but started in the right direction. The roads were empty and even if a cab did appear by some miracle she didn't have any money. At least the pain kept her mind from thinking about _him_. A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky for a brief second and then vanished with a loud roar. Spencer jumped and swore before hurriedly pulling the hood over her head and increasing her speed, despite the agony. She buried her fists into the deep pockets however quickly cursed and pulled her right hand out again. A small, shallow cut stung her knuckle and slowly she pulled out the incriminating object. It was a small rectangle of card, folded several times, and it had been buried right at the bottom of the pocket, therefore not so affected by the drenching rain. Curiously Spencer unfolded it. It was a photograph and tears that she didn't know she had returned to her eyes as she looked at it. Herself and Toby, a couple of months ago when they'd gone up to the hill overlooking Rosewood for the day; they both looked happy, and he was gazing at her with the biggest smile. To anyone looking at it, it would be obvious that he loved her. She stared at it breathless, once again questioning everything. _Why would he carry this around in the A hoodie_? As droplets began to cover the photo she wiped them away with her thumb. It was then that she noticed the red scrawl in the bottom corner. She looked closer at it.

' _Protect her, always. Whatever it takes._ '

Her heart skipped a beat as it sunk in. This was his promise to her, his rule that he would stick to when working as A. Spencer looked behind her, debating whether the photo was genuine or if it was some trick. She struggled to draw in breath as more tears dripped down her soaked cheeks. Another flash of lightning crackled overhead, striking the spire of the church with a display of bright sparks. The suddenness of the strike caused her to flinch and without thinking she sprinted back in the direction that she had come from. Her knees buckled and she stumbled several times. After a few hundred metres she stopped and pulled off the heels, discarding them at the side of the road, and then continued to run barefoot. The rain pelted at her face and body as the storm raged on. The turning came into view and breathing hard, Spencer ran faster. She didn't have a clue what she was going to say or do once there, but that didn't matter at the moment. She just had to get there; she'd worry about the rest later.

Once past the turning, Spencer slowed as she finally began to think about what she was doing. She still wasn't sure whether to believe Toby or not, despite the photograph. She stumbled forward carefully, wincing as her feet stung from the cold and the pain. Staring past the truck, she noticed that the door to his apartment was wide open. She crept closer, confused and worried. _Had he left? Had he tried to follow her? Or had he gone back to A_? As she got level with the truck she stopped, the last thought sticking in her mind. _Maybe it had been some kind of trick to convince her that he was on their side. A double bluff_. As more tears pricked her eyes she leant against the vehicle not quite believing that she had been so stupid. She reached into the pocket and pulled out the photograph. She glanced over it one more time before angrily ripping it into shreds and letting the pieces flutter to the ground. It was then that she heard soft sobbing sounds through the rain. She slowly wound her way around the truck and stared into the darkness of the alleyway. As her eyes focused and adjusted she spotted Toby curled up on the bottom step. His head was in his hands and he was also completely soaked. Spencer let out a breath and slowly walked over to him. Once in front of him she knelt down, staring at him with watery eyes. He still hadn't registered her presence. Watching him cry, Spencer smiled slightly. _It meant he was telling the truth. He wasn't A_. She slowly reached up and put her hand on his cheek. Toby jerked his head up surprised. His eyes were red and his face was tear stricken. As he rested his gaze on her, he quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.  
"Spencer?" He whispered with a croak. He then started an explanation, stumbling over his words as he tried to get them out. Spencer delicately shifted her hand and pressed her thumb against his lips. He fell silent. She took a deep breath and then spoke.  
"I believe you. I'm not sure if I forgive you yet... but I believe you." He nodded, understanding.  
"I'm sorry..."  
"I'm sorry too." He looked at her in confusion.  
"Spencer, you have nothing to be sorry about." She shook her head and sighed.  
"Yes I do. I ran off without letting you explain. I should have listened to you." Toby opened his mouth to protest but Spencer cut him off, leaning upwards and pressing her own lips against his. When she pulled away he looked at her with a brief frown, yet let the argument go, happy that they were still together.  
"I love you Spencer"  
"I love you too Toby" She replied, pressing another soft kiss to his mouth. Gently he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up onto his lap. He then pulled away from the kiss.  
"Spencer... you're freezing" He said concerned, looking at her with worried eyes. After a short pause he continued. "Did you actually bring any clothes with you?" Spencer bit her lip slightly to stop herself from smiling. _Damn Hanna and her stupid ideas_.  
"Yes, I left my bag in your room." Without warning, Toby scooped her up into his arms and stood, making his way carefully back up to his apartment. Spencer yelped in surprise and held on tightly. "What are you doing?"  
"You're freezing Spence, if you don't warm up soon you'll get ill. I'm going to run you a bath, ok?" It was more of a statement than a question but she agreed anyway. Once inside the apartment he kicked the door shut against the rain that still poured down. He then let Spencer down gently onto the sofa before heading into the bathroom. Once she heard the water running she got up and walked over to the kettle to make coffee. She wasn't entirely sure of what had happened that evening, it was starting to all blur together in her mind from her overemotional state, but she knew that caffeine was going to help majorly. She dumped a couple of spoonfuls into each mug and then hitched herself up on the sideboard to wait for the water to boil. Once they had been made Toby reappeared into the room.

"The bath is done Spence." He stated as he walked over to her. She smiled at him.  
"Thanks. I made coffee." He picked up the mug and held it tightly in his hands to warm himself up. Spencer frowned slightly. "Toby, you must be freezing too. You were out in the rain for as long as I was..." He shrugged.  
"I'm fine." She hopped off the sideboard, taking care not to cause her knees any further pain. She then paused, watching him as he tried not to shiver. Shaking her head slightly, she reached out and took his mug, placing it back on the sideboard and then linked her hand with his. He looked up at her puzzled.  
"You're not fine Toby. Now come on." She gently pulled backwards. He stood his ground.  
"What are you doing Spencer?" She sighed.  
"Well you're also freezing, and I'm sure this new bath is big enough for two..." She hinted with a small grin. Toby raised an eyebrow in surprise which then slowly turned into a grin of his own.  
"Are you sure?"  
"Well, _despite everything that's happened_ , it is still our anniversary." Spencer replied leading him into the bathroom.

o o o o

Outside the thunderstorm had finally passed. However the rain was still beating down heavily and the puddles were beginning to make streams down to the drainage holes. The torn photograph that Spencer had discarded was finally picked up by the flowing water and pushed towards the drain down the street. Just before the shreds tumbled out of existence a gloved hand scooped them out of the water. Carefully they pieced together the shreds and read Toby's scrawled promise out loud. With a dark laugh they pocketed Toby's side of the photograph and then proceeded to violently tear the image of Spencer into smaller scraps. Once it had reached an un-repairable state, the gloved hands then sprinkled the confettied photo down the drain.  
" _Let's see how you protect her from me now_." With another dark laugh the figure swiftly disappeared into the darkness again.


End file.
